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Biology Junior Wins 3rd Place in Statewide Science Research Competition

Biology Junior Wins 3rd Place in Statewide Science Research Competition

Submitted on December 1, 2017

Biology major Emily Altman, a Georgetown College junior from Pikeville, won 3rd place in the recent Kentucky Academy of Sciences Physiology & Biochemistry undergraduate student poster competition. Her presentation was made during the 2017 Annual Meeting of KAS held at Murray State University in early November.

More than 500 scientists and students attended the Annual Meeting. Hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students from Kentucky colleges and universities participated in the research competitions in a variety of categories, according to Dr. Tim Griffith, Associate Professor of Biology. Altman’s poster presentation in Physiology and Biochemistry was based on her work this past summer with a researcher at the University of Pikeville.

“Emily is an excellent student,” said Griffith. “We are thrilled for her to receive this recognition for herself and for the GC-PALS Program” in which she has participated. GC-PALS is the acronym for the Georgetown College Program to Accelerate Learning in the Sciences.

GC-PALS has included a science careers seminar course led by Dr. Griffith followed by the pursuit of a summer research program at other prestigious institutions such as Vanderbilt University, Northwestern University, University of Kentucky, Mayo Clinic, University of Washington, and numerous others.

“Doing research is absolutely essential for undergraduate students in the sciences who plan to pursue any kind of subsequent education,” commented Dr. Griffith. “It is good for students who plan to continue in a pre-professional program because a lot of these schools want to see research experience on applications.”

The Kentucky Academy of Science is a non-profit organization, founded in 1914, whose mission is to foster scientific discovery and understanding in Kentucky. Georgetown College faculty, staff, and students may become members of KAS at www.kyscience.org.